The sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed an unarmed Camp Pendleton Marine earlier this year will not be charged with a crime, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr., 31, of Joliet, Ill., was fatally wounded before dawn on Feb. 7 in a parking lot near San Clemente High School.

The Marine, a married father of three children with another baby on the way, was stationed at the San Diego County base as a transportation management specialist.

At the time of the shooting, many fellow Marines expressed shock that such a devout Christian and mentor could be killed by a law enforcement officer. The 14-year veteran of the Corps regularly went on early morning prayer walks at the school track with his family.

On the day he was killed, Loggins crashed through a closed gate in his GMC Yukon with his two daughters in the back seat. Afterward, authorities tried to stop the Marine from leaving with the two girls, ages 9 and 14.

He was fatally wounded by Deputy Darren Sandberg, himself a Marine veteran once stationed at Camp Pendleton.

“Deputy Sandberg believed he needed to use deadly force to protect the children from death or serious bodily injury, and there is significant evidence that his belief was reasonable,” the District Attorney Office’s letter of investigation states.

“Although this incident ended tragically and in hindsight may have been preventable, we find there is insufficient evidence to prove that Deputy Sandberg’s conduct violated criminal law,” homicide unit staff concluded.

The Marine’s widow, Phoebe Loggins, said Friday she is focused on caring for her children and referred questions to her lawyer, Brian Dunn.

“This is the most devastating insult after the most devastating injury,” Dunn said. “This man had not committed a crime. He was not armed with any kind of a weapon. At most, all he did was disobey these sheriff’s deputies.”

The district attorney’s letter includes a detailed account of the incident, including a description based on a video camera on Sandberg’s patrol car and excerpts from the deputy’s version of events.

Sandberg said Loggins drove through a low metal gate going about 40 mph, then walked away from his SUV onto a sports field. He had something in his hand that deputies couldn’t make out. Later, they learned it was probably a Bible.

The deputy stood between the Yukon and Loggins when the Marine returned from the field. Told by Sandberg to stop and raise his hands, Loggins said, “I’ve got somewhere to go,” and “Give me my kids back,” according to the DA’s account.

Sandberg apparently considered using nonlethal force. He asked his sergeant for a Taser, but the other officer didn’t have one. According to the DA, Sandberg thought Loggins was large enough to overpower him if he used a baton.

Loggins got back into the SUV, stepped on the brake pedal and put the gear in drive. That’s when Sandberg fired three times at the lower right corner of the driver’s window, hitting Loggins, the report said.